Fantasy Baseball: Can we trust Joey Gallo again?
I wouldn't want everyone in baseball to play like Joey Gallo, but maybe one is enough. You want to talk about unicorns, Gallo is that.
Gallo's back in the swing of things with Minnesota this year, conking three homers in the previous two games. He's at .308 (enjoy that while it lasts — it surely won't), with seven RBIs. The Twins have faced four straight righties, and they've slotted Gallo seventh in the lineup each time. We'll see if Gallo plays against lefties. Heck, maybe nobody wants that.
Gallo has had moments of fantasy relevance before. He posted three seasons with 38 or more homers. In 2021, he led the American League in walks (OK, and the majors in strikeouts), probably his best full season (.351 OBP, .458 slugging). Of course, he also batted .199 that year.
And here's something adorable: Gallo is baseball's new Mendoza Line. His career average is exactly .200. Sometimes he's over it, sometimes he's under it. Punch those over-under tickets.
Gallo is best used in fantasy leagues in which OBP replaces average or you can pick and choose your lineups often. He's probably not a set-and-forget guy. This asset needs management and care.
But you can squint and imagine Gallo having fantasy relevance. Maybe the Minnesota market is a good fit for him after failures in New York and Los Angeles. Perhaps Gallo can settle in without a major media glare on him. He's still just 29.
If you have a power need, Gallo is ready to go in 80% of Yahoo leagues.
Think about stashing Brett Baty now
Generally, I am not the prospect hound in most of my fantasy leagues. I rarely chase aggressively after the shiny new toy. If I can land a hot rookie at my preferred buy-in, fine. But often those players are chased too enthusiastically for my taste.
Of course, sometimes you have to break your own rules. And I'm prepared to do that with Mets third baseman Brett Baty.
You probably know something about Baty already. He rocked a .315/.410/.533 slash in the minors last year, with 19 homers in 95 games. He hit .184 in an 11-game sample with the Mets, but he did knock two homers. Last month, he impressed in spring training, with a .325/.460/.425 party with eight walks.
The Mets sent Baty down anyway. And he's off to the predictable start at Syracuse: 5-for-14, two homers. I don't think the 23-year-old needs much more seasoning.
Mets owner Steve Cohen isn't a guy interested in a deliberate development plan. He wants the best possible MLB team he can assemble — immediately. And the Mets currently have a potential problem at third base, where Eduardo Escobar is off to a 1-for-16 start, with seven strikeouts. Sure, it's a five-game sample, whatever. But Escobar is also 34 and was barely better than league-average last year.
Perhaps Escobar is close to the final lap of his career. I'd rather get in on Baty now when the acquisition price is low. It won't be cheap if this story continues on the same trajectory. If you want to cut the line, note that Baty is available in 81% of Yahoo leagues.
Editor's note: Keep an eye on Baty's injury report, as he reportedly had to leave Tuesday's minor league game due to an apparent hand injury.
